Chapter 10: The Gardens of Lenny
The thunderous clanging of metal on metal once again rang out within the wreckage of the plane. With a groan, Nick arose from the ground slowly as soreness took hold of him once more. He realized he hadn't fully recovered from the arrival to the island and that he had overexerted himself further. His hands pat the spot beside him, finding that his partner wasn't there. With a jump he opened his eyes and looked beside him where Judy should've been.
"Over here sleepyhead," came a familiar voice behind him.
Turning around the fox saw his partner, who held two tea kettles. "Carrots, were you the one making all that racket?" Nick asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.
"Yep, Lynn wanted me to wake you, I got up way ahead of time and did some looking around," Judy stated as she set the pots down. "But I couldn't really see much except for this fire outside."
Nick shot up from where he was, "Fire? There's a fire outside?!" Nick questioned, getting to his feet hastily.
"Relax Nick, Lynn has this fire roast thing going on, apparently it's too humid up here for the tree itself to catch fire," Judy assured him. "She has a pretty neat setup out there, and she's roasting that water bug we brought," she added on, setting the kettles down and walking to the door, "come outside for breakfast."
Nick spoke not a word, listening to what his partner had to say. With an annoyed groan he followed her out of the plane. The sun had barely started to come out, leaving the tree top dimly lit with the flickering of flames. Lynn did indeed have an impressive setup and Nick couldn't help but admire the clever fire pit. The fire itself was suspended from the branch on what seemed to be a large sheet of metal that had been beaten into a bowl shape. The bowl was held up by way of some support structures from the plane's chassis. More of the support rods and coils were used to make a rotisserie, in which thick cuts of water bug were mounted for cooking. Lynn herself was turning the rotisserie ever so slowly, humming while she cooked. Occasionally she would reach over to a smaller bowl made of sheet metal filled with a watery brown liquid, using a leaf to coat the water bug in it.
"What do you got there, Wild Cat?" Nick asked while sniffing at the air. There was a distinct peanut smell coming from the fire.
"Wild Cat? Is that s'pose to be my nickname now?" Lynn asked in return, giggling as she brought the bowl over to Nick. The contents had a sweet smell to it with what looked like chunks of crushed peanuts in it. "It's just some tree sap I got that I watered down, boiled, n' then I put some crushed peanuts in there!" Lynn boasted as she then reached under the large bowl of the fire pit, procuring the shell of a large peanut. The shell was torn open. One peanut missing a half, presumably used for the glaze, the other was still whole, about the size of a football.
"I am never going to get over how absurdly large everything is here," Nick stated, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yea, took me a bit to get used to it mahself, but hey, more food, right? Least ya can't starve here," Lynn resumed her cooking and after another minute she pulled the rotisserie rod off the fire. Carefully she slid the cuts of water bug onto platters, passing one to Nick. She then piled another platter with grilled vegetables and passed it to Judy. "Mmm, here's to morning dinner!" Lynn proclaimed, biting into her own share of water bug.
It hadn't occurred to the pair that they had effectively skipped dinner during the night. They hoped it wouldn't be a regular occurrence. Regardless, it was nice to have a quiet meal in the morning.
After taking his last bite of water bug, Nick picked at his teeth before looking to Lynn. "So, what suicidal trip are we taking today?" he asked jokingly, earning him yet another of Judy's punches.
"Well, I reckon today we'll do somethin' less dangerous, that there yesterday was all kinds of trouble," Lynn replied, getting up from her spot to start putting the rotisserie away. "Nope, I reckon we'll go for a picnic today, go on n' visit ol' Lenny."
Nick and Judy looked up and then at each other, hearing one of the names that Lynn had listed the evening prior. Judy set down the leaf which previously held her food to, standing up to speak, "you mentioned that name before, i-is Lenny…dangerous?"
"Course not!" Lynn replied cheerily. "Lenny's a gentle giant, you'll like him for sure!" She assured the pair. "Just gotta pack a few food items n' what not then we can head on over to him!" Lynn squeaked as she began walking back to the plane.
"You say that as if you know exactly where he is all the time," Nick stated, walking back alongside Judy.
"Yea, does he usually just stay in one place or do you have some way of tracking him?" Judy inquired.
"He's always in one place," Lynn replied, entering the galley to gather some fruits and vegetables along with the fish jerky. She then juggled some water bottles, humming cheerfully.
"And you just know this?" Nick asked.
"Course I do!" Lynn replied once more, tossing the bottles up into the air before catching them to pack them.
The pair simply looked at one another, shrugging to each other. It was a curious thing that she didn't want to add an explanation. Regardless, they chose to go along with it. After packing some homemade knapsacks Lynn had made from leaves, the trio disembarked.
"Hey Lynn, are you sure we don't need any weapons?" Judy asked, looking back at the plane.
"Nah, where we're headin', the biggest danger would be bees," Lynn pointed out.
"Oh good, giant bees, we're definitely not gonna need to be armed for something that flies and has giant stabbing stingers that could likely kill us in one jab," Nick remarked sarcastically.
"Ah don't worry, Foxy, s'long as we don't go near their hives they won't bother us none," Lynn assured the pair. "Now see, lotta folks don't like them their bees, but they're mighty important, see? They make sure the plants n' trees get that there pollimanation n' what not, so we can get flowers n' healthy trees!" Lynn added while practically skipping along.
This time the trio met with a branch that lead to a cliff nearby, dismounting from the branch and hiking along a trail of thick intertwining roots. The only insects in sight were several caterpillars, each an array of striking colors. As they went by, Lynn listed off each caterpillar and what moth or butterfly they belonged to.
"Seriously though, are you cheating? Are you actually some kind of robot?" Nick asked, legitimately curious.
"Nope, just all from memory n' such!" Lynn assured the fox, picking up what was supposed to be a twig that might as well have been a normal branch.
Judy looked to her side, spotting an unusual larva that seemed to resemble a giant blond wig. "Ok, what's that one then?" she asked, pointing to the caterpillar.
"Flannel moth caterpillar, kinda looks like my cousin's toupee," Lynn joked.
"And that one?" Nick asked, pointing to another caterpillar, this one a burnt orange color with two black spots resembling eyes.
"Spicebush Swallowtail!" Lynn replied cheerfully.
The trio then stopped as a particularly gruesome caterpillar began to crawl pass them. The creature was black and thorny with white patches along its side, covered in tendril-like protrusions which also seemed to harbor thorns.
"And…that thing?" Nick asked while backing away slowly.
"Brahmin Moth, ugly fella ain't he? Strange though, he's gon' grow up to be a real purty moth!" Lynn pointed out.
The trio carefully walked past the horrendous insect, resuming their trek. After an hour, the scenery shifted, the trees growing mossier and more vine ridden. Nick and Judy noted that the area they were in was seemingly growing darker, looking up to find the canopy growing denser.
"Uh, Lynn? Are you absolutely certain this place is safe to be in?" Judy asked, peering out to see if there were any hostile insects.
"Yes'm, it's jus' darker here is all," Lynn assured the rabbit, carrying on unfazed.
The pair looked at each other before continuing on. The further they went the darker the jungle seemed to become. If not for Lynn's presence the pair wouldn't have delved any deeper and turned tail at the slightest movements in the dark.
"Now, when we get to Lenny, try not to freak out, ok?" Lynn instructed as she nimbly climbed over a large segment of roots. "Y'all don't wanna startle anythin' there, especially the bees, definitely don't wanna startle the bees!"
"I still say we should've brought a weapon," Nick stated, looking back to see if something might be following them. His paranoia only seemed to grow since the events of yesterday, if not towards Lynn it was the jungle he grew wary of.
"Pfft, a weapon wouldn't have done us any good, Foxy, trust me on that, you make one bee mad n' the whole daggum colony will be after ya, n' there ain't nothin' you could do to stop'em from bitin' n' stingin'!" Lynn pointed out, reaching the top of a small ledge. "Well y'all, here we are, ol' Lenny…"
The pair climbed to the top of the ledge, standing up slowly as they caught sight of the creature known as Lenny. Their mouths were agape, awe stricken at the sight of the colossal entity residing in the sunlit clearing. They looked carefully at the beetle, its head half buried in the dirt, the back of the white and brown carapace torn open with one front wing having gone missing. The giant was still, its branch-like legs unmoving, its body seemingly hollow and entangled in vines and roots from nearby trees.
"…Lenny…is dead?" Judy spoke up, eyeing the gargantuan corpse curiously.
"Yep!" Lynn replied cheerfully.
"You brought us out here to see a giant dead bug?" Nick asked, scratching his head.
"Course not, we're here for what's in Lenny!" Lynn replied with just as much enthusiasm as ever.
The pair looked at each other once more, growing more curious if not confused. They followed Lynn up to the head of Lenny, which alone was an impressive sight to behold. They watched as the cat then kneeled before the massive entity, her head down solemnly. It quickly became apparent to them that she was paying her respects.
"Ol' Lenny, as we tread upon your body today know we do not do so out o' disrespect, but to share in the gift you have given to the world," Lynn stated while placing her hand over her heart and then to the head of Lenny. She then stood up, climbing atop the shell carefully.
"Lynn, I don't know if I'm comfortable with this," Judy pointed out, hesitantly approaching the head.
"And what was that about a gift?" Nick asked, trying to see over the arch of Lenny's shell to figure out what could be in there.
"Tell me, have y'all heard o' the great circle o' life?" Lynn asked before continuing her climb.
"The what?" the pair asked simultaneously.
"It's an ol' philosophy from ancient times, things live, they grow old, they die, and that which was gives back to the world. Ol' Lenny here, he's made a contribution that could very well be bigger than he ever was," Lynn explained in a surprisingly calm tone.
At that, the pair hesitantly began to climb atop the head of Lenny, curiosity having gotten the better of them. Hiking up to the arch of Lenny's back, the trio peered out into the vast open carapace. The hollow cavity was far from being empty, as it was filled from edge to edge with large and vibrant jungle flowers. The stadium sized corpse was now serving as a garden. Giant bees and butterflies flew over-head, flying between flowers, tending to the garden that was Lenny.
Judy looked on with wide eyes, Lenny's size was already astonishing to her, this was much more than she had expected. "It's…beautiful…" she managed to say, completely entranced by the majestic scenery.
Nick was just as astonished as his partner, rubbing his eyes just to make certain that he wasn't in fact dreaming. He tried to look over the edge to see the bottom of the garden, only to find that it was overgrown with thick roots and grass. Then he looked to the remaining wing of the corpse, which was held in place with vines that also harbored flowers. Nick soon found that he hadn't said anything, being left completely speechless.
Bzzzz.
The trio looked to their left, finding that a large bee had landed beside them. The giant bee buzzed its wings while scratching its abdomen with its hind legs.
Nick jumped with a gasp, snapping out of his trance and hiding behind Lynn for protection. "Lynn, bee!" he stated frantically, pointing at the large insect.
"Relax, Foxy, she's just restin', she ain't gon' hurt no one, n' what did I say bout' freakin' out?" Lynn chastised the fox. With that, the cat set down her knapsack and walked up to the resting bee. "Well ain't you a cutiepatootie, y'all tuckered out, huh? I got just the thing for you," she told the bee, going back to her knapsack and procuring a blueberry and a canteen of water. The cat pulled a leaf from a nearby vine and curled it into a bowl shape, pouring the water in while crushing the blueberry. She swished the contents around before walking back, presenting the sweetened water to the bee. The pair watched as the bee seemingly climbed into the leaf, drinking the contents.
"Huh…you know, she's actually kind of adorable," Judy pointed out, watching the bee.
"Yea, still not going near it though," Nick stated.
Three more bees suddenly landed to where Lynn was kneeling, all clamoring around her leaf bowl. "Woo-wee, looks like I'm mighty popular now," Lynn commented with a giggle.
"You sure they're not going to do anything?" Nick asked once more, backing away from the sudden feeding frenzy.
"Positive!" Lynn replied before getting back up. She dusted off some pollen that was sprinkled on to her when the bees landed, leaving the bees to the leaf bowl. "Now, how's 'bout that picnic?" she suggested, leading the pair to a different segment of Lenny's back.
The trio set out one of the plane's blankets, setting down the knapsacks. They began laying out the food, Nick cautiously looking around to make certain the bees weren't coming up on them. Lynn hummed while setting out beaten metal plates, piling them with appropriate snacks for each of them.
Judy sat down and looked around once more, it was still absolutely breathtaking to see the vast garden. "When you said we were going on a picnic, I really wasn't expecting someplace this nice," she commented, biting down on some hay.
"Yea, figured we would just be hanging out in the trees or something," Nick added, watching the bees float around alongside some giant butterflies. "Do you come here often?" Nick asked, nibbling on some fish jerky.
"Yep!" Lynn replied cheerfully. She sat back and peered out across the great expanse of flowers. "It was nice too... I wasn't really feelin' all that well when I gone n' wandered off from the plane, see? Not sick or nothin', just sorta down in the dumps, y'know?" Lynn turned her head towards the bees as she continued, "I saw one o' them there bees flyin' around n' I thought maybe I'll find some flowers… boy did I get more than I could ask fer," the cat added on with a giggle.
Judy nodded as she heard the cat's story, looking around the garden once more. "Just had one of those days, huh? Feeling all alone?" Judy asked.
Lynn didn't respond at first, the pair watched her face curiously. She seemed to be trying to remember something, her eyes looking towards the ground as she let out a sigh. "Yea… somethin' like that" Lynn replied flatly, her legs tucking in as she held her knees. "That n'… I sorta just… got around to acceptin' I might never leave this island, but in the least, I'm stuck among the beauty o' nature… even if it is monstrous n' large… ya really can't go denyin' that it's beautiful."
Nick and Judy were taken aback at Lynn's philosophical side, blinking a few times to make sure that it was indeed Lynn who was speaking. "Wow, that's uh… pretty deep there," Nick pointed out, feeling concern over Lynn's view on their situation. "But hey, since we're all here now, we can come up with ways to get off this rock, right?" Nick assured her.
Judy stared at Lynn's expression, cocking her brow at the cat. Lynn continued to peer out across the garden, her mind seemingly adrift in recollection. Judy gently laid a hand on the thinking cat's shoulder, "r-right?"
Lynn snapped out of her trance with a small jump, staring back at the pair, "Huh, wha-? O-oh, yea, definitely," Lynn answered hastily.
Nick stared at her quizzically for a moment, deciding against asking what was on her mind in case it might trigger another episode. "So, any ideas for getting off this rock?" Nick asked, biting down on some fish jerky.
Judy let out a sigh as she reclined, "I still say we should build a raf-"
Her sentence was cut off before she could finish the last word. "No! No rafts!" Lynn shouted in panic. The cat quickly covered her mouth with both paws, staring wide eyed at the pair who returned her gaze. "I…I mean…just…no, no rafts," Lynn stammered, rubbing her face as she turned away from them.
Nick gulped nervously before speaking, "Ok…no rafts, we are definitely not doing that," he assured her. He was more than a little curious at what caused her to freak out so suddenly. Obviously it wasn't a fear of water seeing as she went fishing yesterday, and even dived to kill a water bug.
Lynn winced hard, seemingly fighting back tears. She wiped her eyes with her paws before taking a deep breath. "S-sorry y'all, I just don't fancy tryin' to sail out when lord knows what's swimmin' around out there," she tried to explain.
The two officers hadn't thought about the possibility of something being in the surrounding water. Nick recalled his encounter with the monster crab from their first day. That was only a crab, he didn't want to think about what other water dwelling creature might have been there.
Judy thought a little more carefully, however, specifically at Lynn freaking out from just the suggestion of building a raft. She analyzed what had just happened carefully. What brought her to tears? Why would Lynn freak out at just mentioning a raft? Unless... "She already tried that," she muttered to herself.
"Come again?" Lynn asked, as she wiped her eyes one last time.
"Huh? Oh! N-no, nothing, just thinking to myself here," Judy stammered.
Nick looked at his partner, having heard what she said he couldn't help but wonder if she found out something.
Judy nodded, knowing there would be a time in the evening when Lynn wouldn't be close by. "Hey, for now, let's just enjoy this picnic, ok?" she cheerfully told Lynn.
The ocelot smiled and nodded, "o-ok! Yea, I reckon I'd like that."
The three of them continued to eat in relative silence, the only sounds accompanying them being the buzzing of nearby bees. Lynn occasionally stopped to identify certain butterflies that came near, going back to her tour guide mode.
"N' that there blue one is called a blue morpho!" the cat cheerfully stated while pointing to a large bright blue butterfly sitting on a nearby flower. "I reckon that one has been here since, well, since I've been on the island!" she added, tilting her head.
"Wow, is that right?" Judy asked as she watched the butterfly.
"Y'know, it's s'ppose to be weird though," Lynn stated as she eyed the bug. "Since I've been on this island…I reckon I've seen the same exact bug a few times…like that there morpho," she pointed out, specifically pointing to a missing segment from its hind leg. "I don't reckon that's coincidence or what not, but since I've been here, I've seen this same morpho like I said, n' that there leg bein' gone is why I know," she continued. "Blue morphos, or fer that matter, most bugs have really short life spans…"
"Well…how long is that blue morpher supposed to be live?" Nick asked before taking a bite out of water bug.
"Morpho, Foxy, it's pronounced morpho, n' it's only s'ppose to live for 'bout a hundred n' fifteen days," Lynn pointed out.
At this Judy's eyes grew wide, "wait, but…you've been here for seven years, how is that possible?" Judy asked as she looked back and forth between the butterfly and Lynn.
"Well, that's sorta the thing, see? I stopped questionin' how weird it is," Lynn answered, hunching over in the fetal position. She chuckled as she went on, "I mean, y'all've seen the stuff goin' on 'round here, these here bugs are already beyond normal, so why question that they're also livin' longer too?"
The pair nodded. There really wasn't much point in questioning it, especially since they couldn't even answer why they were so large to begin with.
"So, Lynn, what exactly is Lenny anyhow?" Nick asked, looking around once more. "And how come there's a whole garden growing inside him?" He added on.
"Ol' Lenny here is a goliath beetle, pretty fittin' name, huh?" Lynn replied cheerfully. "As fer the garden, I reckon there were seeds in Lenny's gut b'fore the big fella kicked the bucket, his corpse decomposed n' the seeds started springin' to life when his wing got torn off," she replied again, taking a drink of water. "It's either that, or the seeds popped while he was still livin' n' that's what got him."
"That's…pretty morbid, I like the first suggestion better," Judy stated.
The ocelot nodded in agreement, "Yea, I like that first idea too." Lynn stood up and looked around for a brief moment, peering out into the garden. "Y'all stay right here and don't freak out when a bug comes crawlin'," she told the two officers before leaping down to the overgrown floor.
"Where is she going?" Judy asked while peering into the garden as well, uncertain as to where the cat was headed.
"No clue, but hey, I need to ask you something," the fox said while leaning towards her. "Y'know, about the way she just absolutely lost it when we suggested a raft?" he asked her without actually saying the question, all the while looking out to see if Lynn was nearby.
"Yea, about that," Judy said, her own eyes locked into the flowers for any sign of the strange cat. "I think she already attempted leaving by raft," She told him.
"Ok, and?" the fox pressed on.
"Well, you remember how she stopped listing names last night, when she was naming the other really gigantic stuff on this island?" Judy asked her partner. "I'm starting to think that there is something in the water around this island she isn't telling us about."
Nick nodded in thought, he was starting to see the big picture himself. Something had stopped Lynn from leaving by water before. Whatever it was, it didn't just scare her, it absolutely traumatized her.
Before the conversation could continue, a rustling came from the leaves ahead of them. Lynn emerged, having in one paw a rather large white flower. "Well Funny Bunny, I didn't think it'd be here, but here it is!" Lynn proclaimed as she passed the flower to the rabbit.
Judy stared at it briefly, taking in the shape of the flower and its color. She cocked a brow as she took it in her own paws, giving it a sniff. "Oh there is no mistaking it… it's vanilla," Judy stated before taking a bite of the petals. "Mmm, sweet cheese and crackers… I'm really starting to miss ice cream," Judy said while chewing on the flower.
Nick could only watch, amused at the spectacle. "What I would give for some blueberry sorbet," he said with a sigh.
"Ugh, I would kill for any kind of ice cream, been waaaay too long," Lynn said with her own sigh.
The trio contemplated in silence, thinking about the society they had been unwillingly been removed from. Nick and Judy looked at Lynn, who stared into the sky. Her expression was that of longing. Wincing, she wiped her eyes before the tears could come.
Lynn looked back up into the sky, shielding her eyes and looking towards the sun. "Well, anyhow, I reckon the sun is juuuust in the right spot up there to let us know we need ta go," Lynn pointed out. "Gotta mosey on back b'fore the night crowd come stalkin'," she added while packing away their things.
Nick and Judy didn't need to know more to start packing as well, not wanting to have another event like last night. Quickly and quietly the trio set out back to the jungle, leaving behind the massive body of the goliath beetle named Lenny. The path they had come from had seemingly grown even darker, and notably noisier as all manner of scurrying could be heard not too far off.
All was quiet as the trio returned to the plane. Unexpectedly, the evening was just as pleasant as the day had been. Lynn greeted her spider companion, still much to the discomfort of Nick. The fox and the rabbit made their way into the plane as Lynn closed the hatch behind them in preparation of applying her repellent.
Nick and Judy sat themselves amidst the pile of pillows and blankets, listening for Lynn as she walked about the plane's hull. Specifically, they were listening for when she was furthest away from their location.
"So, what do you think?" Nick asked his partner. "Do you think we should try and press her for information now?"
Judy shook her head, "I don't think it's safe just yet, she trusts us, but I don't think she trusts us enough to tell us everything," she answered while laying back on the blankets. "For now, we should just build up our trust with her, I still don't want to risk freaking her out," the rabbit added while fluffing the pillow beneath her head.
Nick followed suit and reclined on the spot beside her. "So I guess leaving by water is going to be trickier than we thought," Nick commented.
"Yea…but then again trying to sail back to Zootopia without knowing which way it is wouldn't have worked out to begin with," Judy said with a sigh.
A brief silence followed at the realization that leaving was going to be much more difficult. Nick looked beside him at Judy, "don't worry Carrots…we'll figure something out, I'm sure of."
"That's surprisingly optimistic of you," Judy teased with a smile.
"Yea, well, after what happened yesterday, we're still alive so a brighter outlook on things wouldn't hurt," Nick stated as he closed his eyes. "Good night Carrots."
"Good night Nick."